Projects

Marine Mammal ID using PAM & Deep Learning

2018 - Present

Marine mammals, especially cetaceans, are known for being highly vocal. These acoustic signals allow to detect presence and even identify species. Passive acoustic monitoring has the benefits of acquire  a large amount of data that requires efficient processing, thus, computational strategies are implemented to take advantage of the Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques.

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, Dr Fernando Daniel von Borstel Luna.

Grants:

• Uso de redes neuronales de aprendizaje profundo para la identificación de vocalizaciones de mamíferos marinos en el Golfo de California. Laboratorio Nacional de Supercómputo del Sureste de México [201801010N]. 

Monitoring Cerralvo Channel, B.C.S., Mexico

2022 -Present

Cerralvo Channel within the southern portion of the Gulf of California is an area with a increasing anthropogenic pressure. Thus, there is a concern about the potential effects on marine fauna. Passive acoustic monitoring is an ideal method to investigate the habitat use of different species and their relation in ecological processes.

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, M.C. Haidé Cruz Villagrán, Dr Braulio León López, Dr Aurora Paniagua, Dr Joaquin Gutierrez, Dr Fernando Daniel Von Borstel Luna

Rocky Coral Reefs Soundscapes

2016 - Present 

Coral reefs are a highly biodiverse ecosystem, where a large amount of species interact to maintain ecological equilibrium. La Paz Bay contain a large amount of rocky coral reef patches. It has been noted that sounds play an important role for evaluate the health of the ecosystems, and analysing soundscapes in rocky coral reefs can help to understand the relation among species and the potential effects of anthropogenic noise.

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, Dr Braulio León López

Soundscape Ecology in Baja California Peninsula

2022 - Present

The Baja California peninsula contains a large amount of international  priority natural areas for conservation. There is a goal of evaluating the conservations status of Protected Natural Areas, and RAMSAR sites using acoustics. Bioacoustic and ecoacustic methods are applied and developed.

Researchers involved: Dr Patricia Cortés Calva*, Dr Braulio Leon Lopez, Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas. 

Collaborating with the Natural History Museum, CIBNOR. *Project lead PI.

https://www.cibnor.gob.mx/investigacion/colecciones-biologicas/ecologia-paisaje-sonoro

Signal Processing Techniques for PAM to study dolphins in La Paz Bay

2018 - Present

There is a high demand on more efficient and confident methods to analysing acoustic signals from cetaceans. The aim is to develop new techniques to analyse the acoustic repertoire (including the different type of pulsed and tonal sounds) of dolphins and other cetacean.

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, Dr Braulio Leon Lopez

PAM for Antarctic Marine Mammals

2017 - 2020

There is limited knowledge about the acoustic behaviour of migratory whales that feed in the Antarctic and breed in Colombian coast. The aim was to obtain passive acoustic monitoring data in the area around the Antarctic peninsula deploying custom-made PAM equipment developed in CIBNOR. 

Researches involved: M. C. Andrea Bonilla Garzón, Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, Dr Jorge Urbán Ramírez.

Grants:

• Hábitat acústico de los mamíferos marinos Antárticos Expediciones Antárticas IV, V y VI, Comisión Colombiana del Océano. 2017-2020

Software and Bioacoustics Technology Development for Cetacean Research

2013 - 2014

Equipment for long-term passive acoustic monitoring requires certain specifications for the correct data acquisition. An interdisciplinary group of researchers aimed to develop hardware and software for studying blue whales in the Gulf of California.

Researchers involved: Jaime Gómez Gutiérrez,Diane Chantal Gendron Laniel, Ricardo Palomares García, Karina Acevedo Whitehouse, Blanca Esther Carvajal Gamez, Sergio García Beristain, Luis Enriquez Paredes, John Hildebrand, John Calambokidis, Eduardo Romero Vivas, Pablo Roberto Lizana Paulin, Patricia Lorena Ramírez Rangel, José de Jesús Negrete Redondo, Francisco Javier Gallegos Funes, Yesenia Eleonor González Navarro, Adrian Antonio Castañeda Galván, Víctor Cabrera Arenas.

Grants:

• Uso y desarrollo de software y tecnología bioacústica en el estudio de cetáceos [SIP 1576] .

Bats Bioacoustics

2009 - Present

Bats play a vital role for the arid environments in Baja California peninsula and surrounding islands. Echolocation signals can help in monitoring the presence of different species. It is aimed to continue creating acoustic catalogues, establish standardise methods for recordings and develop new signal processing methods for high frequency sounds.

Researchers involved: Dr Patricia Cortes Calva, Dr Romero Vivas, Dr Sergio Ticul Alvarez, Dr Braulio León López, Mayra De la Paz Cuevas, Luis Carlos Moreno Galván

Grants:

• Monitoreo, conocimiento y difusion de la importancia de los murcielagos presentes en islas del Golfo de California. Programa de Planeacion Ambiental y Conservación [852] 2014

• Inventario de los murciélagos de las regiones áridas y semiaridas de méxico, y la elaboración de su catálogo de sonogramas. Programa de Planeacion Ambiental y Conservación [917-0] 2009-2013

• Monitoreo, conocimiento y difusion de la importancia de los murcielagos presentes en islas del Golfo de California. [852] 2014.

Sea Turtle Bioacoustics

2017

Acoustic communication in sea turtles is poorly understood. It remains unknown how much sounds play an important role in for their activities. The aim was to investigate sound production in sea turtles.

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, Dr Amaury Cordero Tapia

Sonar Arrays for Underwater and Surface Autonomous Vehicles

2013 - Present

Development of monitoring equipment is indispensable for researching underwater environments efficiently. Here, it is aimed to use visual and array acoustic processing for census and identification of species in shallow waters, allowing access to areas where it could be complicated for humans.

Researchers involved: Dr Joaquín Gutierrez Jaguey, Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, Dr Fernando von Borstel Luna, Dr Miguel Porta Gandara, Dr Francisco Villa Medina.

Grants:

• Diseño de un vehículo modular acuático para muestreo y exploración en aguas protegidas [844] 2013-2014.

• Desarrollo de un vehiculo modular acuatico para batimetria en aguas someras [039C] 2013-2016.

Metamaterial Acoustic Leaky Wave Antennas

2018 - Present

Acoustic metameterials can be useful in a wide varety of research setting. It is aime to develope acoustic leaky wave antennas (ALWAs) in modular form to determine direction of sound sources.

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas, M. C. Omar Bustamante, Dr Roberto Segura, Dr Braulio León López

Virtual Reality and sound sources 3D localisation for underwater studies

2018 - Present

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero Vivas

Characterising Courtship Vibroacoustic Signals in Wolf Spiders

2018 

Wolf spiders (Pardosa sierra) produce vibration on soil for communication. Female choose males for mating depending on the courtship dispay consisting on visual performance and vibratory signals. The aim was to investigate the courtship vibrationa signals in the species in control settings.

Researchers involved: Dr Eduardo Romero-Vivas , Emiliano Méndez Salinas , M. C. Anaid López Urban, Dr María Luisa Jiménez Jiménez , Dr Francisco Javier García De León